What College Admissions Officers Look For: How Do Colleges Read Applications?

There are various ways in which colleges read your application. Some city and state universities set minimum GPAs and standardized test scores and then in some cases a computer determines whether you have met the minimum qualifications for admission. More selective universities have a multistep process. The University of Michigan, for example, clearly posts its process for reading applications and its freshman rating sheet on its Web site. The process at the University of Michigan and at many other colleges is that there are at least two holistic reviews completed for each applicant. There is an initial reader, who reviews your file and makes a determination to admit or reject. Your file is then reviewed by a second reader and he or she makes an independent assessment of your admission status. The file is then given to an assistant director who may agree with the first two readers or he or she can bring your file to the attention of a committee for its last review for a final decision.

Many colleges have a two-reader process. Some colleges have counselors who read for a specific region, others just have general readers. Applicants who are clear-cut for admission or rejection may not go before a committee for a final review. At these committee meetings, counselors discuss in detail the merits of your application, taking into account your grades, standardized test scores, academic program, reputation of your high school, extracurricular activities, essays, teachers and counselor recommendations, and other admission criteria.

The University of Michigan’s rating system targets seven areas as follows, which should give you an idea of how many complex factors some colleges take into account when evaluating applicants.

University of Michigan’s Rating System

1. Secondary school academic performance

Recalculated GPA

Quality of high school curriculum

Test scores

Academic interests

Class rank

Other

2. Educational environment

Strength of curriculum (honors, AP, IB courses offered)

Average SAT/ACT scores

Percent attending four-year colleges

Grading system

Academically disadvantaged school

3. Counselor and teacher recommendations

Character

Civic and cultural awareness

Commitment to high ideals

Intellectual independence/enthusiasm for learning/risk taking

Creative/artistic talent

Concern for others

Motivation/determination/effort

Leadership potential/maturity/responsibility

4. Personal background

Cultural awareness/experiences

Socioeconomic and educational background (including first generation to attend college)

6. Extenuating circumstances

7. Other considerations

How the Colleges Represented by Our Panel of Admissions Experts Read Applications

Admissions counselors and directors share with us how their colleges read applications:

“Each applicant is reviewed on the basis of academic talent and contributions to our pluralistic campus community. An initial review is done by the recruiter for the geographic area within which the student resides, and then the committee reviews each application holistically.”–Cheryl Brown, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Binghamton University, State University of New York

“The faculties from both the schools of art and architecture made the creative decisions. The admissions office had a say about the academic strengths of the applicants. For engineering, the admissions office made the decision. Often, the school the applicant applied from played a role in the decision as well. An ‘A’ in one school is not an ‘A’ in another. And gender, race, ethnicity, geography, and extracurricular activities played an important role in making a positive decision.”–Mitchell Thompson, Dean of Students, Scarsdale HS, former Associate Dean of Admissions and Records, The Cooper Union

“They review each applicant individually and we make decisions based on each student’s merits, regardless of the student’s major, geographic area, or high school. If each student from a particular high school is admissible, we’ll admit all of them! We don’t cap the number of students we’ll admit from each school.”–Lauren Kay, Assistant Director, Indiana University

“The review looks at academic preparation/level of success in the secondary school program, standardized test scores, and for other evidence (talents/interests/extra or co-curricular activities) that suggest an applicant can be successful and happy. Readers review applications by region which correlates with their recruitment travel. This brings a personal knowledge of the applicants’ schools/programs into the review process.

After first review, a second review is done by someone who typically does not know the region. If both readers evaluate the application similarly, the review is finished. If the first and second reviews produce disparate evaluations, applications get a third review by a selection committee. One final review is done to shape the entering class. If there are multiple applicants from the same school, the group’s results are collected and reviewed to make sure that an applicant has not been under- or overrated vis-à-vis the peer group.” –Nancy J. Maly, Director of Admission, Grinnell College

“Rensselaer reads applications electronically via committee. We do indicate whether other students from a particular high school have applied, along with demographic data.” –Raymond Lutzky, Director of Outreach, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

What Role Does Technology Play in the Application Process?

As technology plays an increasingly important role in the application process, there are some issues that you need to be aware of and that could negatively impact you. Almost every college requires a student’s e-mail address and sometimes the parents’ e-mail address. Some students have old addresses from when they were in middle school that are no longer appropriate. Take an objective look at your e-mail address; if it says sexymama@aol.com, ihateschool@aol.com, or something like partyanimal@aol.com, I would strongly suggest that you change your e-mail address to something neutral. Students also don’t realize that colleges can and sometimes do access Facebook and MySpace profiles.

If you would be embarrassed by anything posted on these Web sites, be very careful what you post during the college application process. For that matter, high schools and employers can also look at postings, so be very mindful of what’s on your profile. Photos of drinking binges, risqué photos, rumors about others, and other inappropriate behavior can be the kiss of death for some colleges and honors programs. Also, be vigilant about passwords and giving people you hardly know access to your accounts, as some students hack into other people’s profiles and try to sabotage their college acceptances by posting harmful photos. Do you really have 600 close friends on Facebook? Take a look at your profile and delete anyone you’re not 100 percent sure about. In the beginning of your senior year, take a look at your e-mail address and your online postings. You should change the security access to your account and delete any inappropriate material.

On the positive side, technology has made applying to college somewhat easier and more accessible. The Common Application and the Universal College Application are two of
the most popular ways to apply to college. An emerging trend is to develop electronic or e-portfolios, which colleges can review to provide them with even more information about your talents, skills, and abilities. These portfolios can contain creative works, images, links, research papers, and other documents highlighting your various accomplishments. If you’re careful, technology can be very useful during the college admissions process. If you’re not careful, you may inadvertently give negative information to colleges, which can be used to reject your application.

Other sources for obtaining students’ perspectives of college life include blogs, videos, and chat rooms which can be accessed on a college’s Web site. You have the opportunity to talk to current students about academic and campus life. Talking directly to students can offer new insights into a potential college.